The coast guard flight moves around the Swedish territorial border every day, all year round. As the security situation has deteriorated, the emphasis has shifted from environmental monitoring – to border monitoring.
– It has become a greater focus, so we are more on our toes and more observant, after things like Nord Stream happened. We also notice a greater interest from other authorities in what happens at sea, says Mats, commander of the coast guard flight.
How often do you meet Russian state ships?
– It happens every week and the same with state ships from the West and our own state ships. It is a constant practice and the ships are constantly in orbit, says system operator Erik.
On board the Coast Guard aircraft, the Coast Guard has access to a number of different sensor systems, such as radar and cameras. Photo: Fredrik Larsson/SVT
The coastguard aircraft consists of three propeller planes that are equipped with various types of advanced systems, including a reconnaissance radar that reaches over large parts of the Baltic Sea. When an unknown ship appears in the Coast Guard’s radar system, the aircraft can get there for a visual identification,
In cases where something is discovered that may be of interest to the Swedish Armed Forces, the information is forwarded.
– It could be radar echoes that are not included in the systems that could be on their way to Sweden. Then it might be interesting to do a border check, says system operator Anders.
A new phenomenon in the Baltic Sea is the so-called shadow fleet, which mainly consists of oil tankers from countries that do not have a trade embargo against Russia’s oil.
The Coast Guard is concerned that a lower safety standard among these vessels could lead to accidents – and environmental disasters.
– We see a new pattern of vessels in the oil traffic in the Baltic Sea. It is about a new fleet of ships from countries that do not have an embargo against Russia. We can see that there are slightly lower requirements for maritime safety and training in these cases and this means that we are closer to an accident in many cases, says system operator Erik.
The Coast Guard flight is based at Skavsta Airport and reaches most of the Baltic Sea area within an hour. Photo: Fredrik Larsson/SVT